VP6D Press Release #6

18. 07. 23

Congratulations to the Baker Island KH1/KH7Z team. Under extremely poor propagation conditions they put on a excellent DX-pedition. They proved the value of FT8 DXpedition mode and gave many ATNOs to the deserving. A hearty WELL DONE to the Dateline DX Association.

The VP6D – Ducie Island 2018 project is on schedule.

As you may recall, VP6D will use the same Elecraft equipment as KH1/KH7Z. On July 20th the Baker Island radio equipment was returned to Elecraft for inspection, testing and refurbishing. Members of the VP6D team will drive to California the first week of August to prepare the equipment for shipment. We will ship the equipment to New Zealand on about August 15th. Team member Jacky ZL3CW will transfer the shipment to Braveheart.

There’s no question that the Baker team had considerable success with FT8. However, a large percentage of the callers weren’t prepared for the challenges of this new mode. We ask everyone to please read the FT8 DX-pedition Mode Users Manual at: https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/FT8_DXpedition_Mode.pdf. It will be in everyone’s best interest if callers use the most recent software version, correctly configure their equipment, call VP6D above 1,000 Hertz and in the correct sequence. If you are unsure of your configuration please seek assistance before calling.

We plan to use Twitter and Facebook to keep the DX community updated on our progress by sending regular updates from the island. We want to thank Paul Ewing N6PSE and the Intrepid DX Group for the loan of a BGAN unit, giving us an additional Hughes 9201 unit.

During our stay on the island we will collect soil and plant specimens for study by the National Antarctic Scientific Centre of Ukraine in their climate change research. The Pitcairn Island government issued a permit for the specimens to be collected and removed from the island.

Our current fundraising campaign is underway; you may see the progress at VP6D.com. We feel fortunate to have received financial grants from 40 DX clubs / foundations and many individuals. At this writing we’re at 68% of target with about 3 months before we sail. We anticipate additional clubs and individuals will help close the gap.

The team is busily working on the project. We’ll have some exciting announcements in future press releases.